Trailing by a goal early in the second half, a Chippewa Falls player drew Rapids keeper Wes Plowman out of position but missed wide left on a 10-yard shot. The missed opportunity was costly less than three minutes later, when Barcenas scored at 50 minutes, 44 seconds to put the Raiders up by two goals.

The lead stood, as Rapids topped the Cardinals 3-1 in a nonconference season opener for both teams.

"A lot of it is being at the right place at the right time," said Barcenas, a senior forward. "You have to be there to create opportunities, and once you're there, you have to execute to score.

"We brought it (offense) through our defense and then looked towards the middle, and that would draw their defense in and they we would look to the side," Barcenas added. "That's how I scored my goal."

Barcenas also had an assist on Austin Schulze's first-half goal, which put the Raiders up 2-1 at the 33:31 mark.

The close call didn't rattle the Raiders or coach Derek Bell.

"We were fortunate," Bell said. "That could have been a goal and it would have been huge for them. We needed to get the game under control, and we did that.

"When they scored, their kid made a wonderful play on the ball, but we also gave him a lot of room in the box," Bell added. "We have to work on things like that and get a feel for each other on the field."

Added Barcenas, "It was a relief (that they didn't score). We have to make sure we correct our mistakes or it could cost us a game. It could have cost us tonight."

Less than midway through the first half, Rapids scored when a shot defected off a Chippewa Falls player for an own goal.

"They're a great team, and I love playing a quality team like Chippewa Falls early in the season," Bell said.